Easter Cooking

M and I are stuck here in Sacto because, frankly, a 2 hour drive back and forth to the Bay Area would probably knock M on his ass right now. Plus - we have sick family members. Not good for those who have no immune system.

So after doing absolutely nothing today, I decided to finally start making dinner. I opted to not plan for anything in case M couldn't eat our old stand-bys. But I was determined to make SOMETHING for dinner since I rarely do so. (I just don't cook.)

Sadly, since I didn't plan anything, I didn't really have a whole lot of ingredients to make anything fabulous. My attempts at re-making my Honey Nut Chicken Sticks were thwarted by the lack of Honey Nut Chex in our house. And this rainy weather doesn't exactly motivate me to want to run out to the store. (Especially since I really didn't plan to leave the house today anyway...)

Luckily, we had some left over Parmesan cheese and about a pound of chicken. Typically, when I make Chicken Parm, I use Mozzarella cheese. Which may sound strange, but it works somehow. It's probably one of M's favorite dishes. Since no Mozzarella was to be found, I decided to make legitimate Chicken Parm. It's currently in the oven now. And it seriously took, like, 10 minutes worth of prep work. I imagine if you were making 3 pounds of chicken, it'd take a little longer. But - for two of us... no need. Now we just have to wait until it's cooked. So far, it smells hella good.

I have some pasta and mashed potatoes sitting in the pantry. Along with some frozen veggies. I'm sure our Easter meal will be somewhat impressive.

Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1-1/4 cups crushed cornflakes or finely crushed rich round crackers (about 35) [I just used regular ol' bread crumbs.]
  
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 2-1/2 to 3 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks)

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine egg and milk. For coating, in a shallow dish combine crushed cornflakes, thyme, paprika, salt, pepper; stir in melted butter. Set aside. Skin chicken. Dip chicken pieces, 1 at a time, into egg mixture; coat with crumb mixture.

2. In a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan, arrange chicken, bone side down, so the pieces aren't touching. Sprinkle chicken pieces with any remaining crumb mixture so they are generously coated.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F for breasts; 180 degrees F for thighs and drumsticks). Do not turn chicken pieces while baking. Makes 6 servings.

4. *Note: To make your own tenders, simply cut 1-1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast halves lengthwise into 1-inch strips.

5. Oven-Fried Parmesan Chicken: Prepare as above, except omit thyme and salt and reduce crushed cornflakes to 1/2 cup. For coating, combine cornflakes; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed; the paprika; and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Continue as above.